Sony has announced the a7R Mark III, a 42.4MP mirrorless camera built around the lessons learned from its flagship a9 sports camera. The result is a high-res full frame camera capable of 10 fps shooting with more tenacious autofocus and many of the improvements existing a7R II users had hoped for.

The camera features essentially the same body as the a9, creating room for a focus point selection joystick, AF-On button, twin SD card slots, flash sync socket and, most importantly, that camera's higher-capacity battery. The new camera also gets the 3.69M-dot OLED viewfinder from the a9, providing a 1280 x 960 resolution view. This gives you highly detailed images with high contrast and deep blacks through the EVF, particularly during playback.

Speed

The sensor is the same 42.4MP BSI CMOS chip as before, but a series of hardware and processing changes act to get more out of it.

A faster 'Bionz X' processor, along with the front-end LSI processor featured in recent Sony models, allows the camera to process more data, faster. This, in conjunction with a redesigned, low-vibration shutter mechanism, allows the new camera to shoot at 10 frames per second, with full autofocus, in either mechanical or electronic shutter mode. It can also do a6500-style 'live view' continuous shooting at up to 8 fps. It's not the blackout-free shooting of the a9, but the instantaneous 'live' frames at 8 fps can help you keep up with the action despite this being, in practice, simply 8 live frames per second with black frames inserted in between (which we're told is much like the a6500 we tested).

Continuous shooting bursts can last for 87 compressed or 28 uncompressed Raw files.

Sony claims 15 stops of dynamic range and 14-bit Raw capture across more of its shooting modes (including continuous shooting in uncompressed Raw and e-shutter mode, which prompted the previous camera to drop to 12-bit capture), though it still drops to 12-bit when shooting 10 fps compressed Raw. At the pixel-level, we're skeptical of the 15 EV claim and expect something more along the lines of the ADC bit-depth: 14 to 14.5 EV at best.

So, although the Mark III doesn't have the super-high throughput stacked CMOS design that we saw in the a9, Sony says the faster processing will give faster shooting speeds and even offer AF benefits: "more tenacious" subject tracking and Eye-AF than the existing a7R models to name a couple, even if not up to a9 standards. So how does AF stack up?

Autofocus

The a7R III retains the 399 point on-sensor phase-detect AF system of its predecessor, ensuring accurate and precise autofocus at the image sensor plane with no calibration whatsoever. Like with the a9, Sony has updated its low light AF rating, ensuring focus down to -3 EV with F2 lenses. Indeed, we've found Sony's ratings to be relatively accurate, with a F1.4 lens offering 1 stop faster performance (down to -4 EV), but slower lenses offering worse performance (-1 EV for F4 lenses). The a7R II predecessor focused down to -3 EV with F1.4 lenses, and reliably to -2 EV with F2 lenses.

Importantly, though, Sony claims twice as good face and eye detection and tenacity. That would be welcome, as we found Eye AF-C to be very jumpy, readily hopping between detected faces in the scene, on the a7R II. The a7R II particularly struggled in continuous drive modes. The a9 remedied this issue quite a bit, more tenaciously sticking to your original intended subject as you can see below, and even functioning very well even in 20 fps bursts. We hope the a7R II's algorithms allow for at least somewhat similar behavior. See how the a7R II and the a9 compare, above.

Official Sony a7R III sample images

Stable high resolution

As well as the more powerful processors, the a7R Mark III gains some of its capabilities from a completely new shutter mechanism. This is designed to be both fast and low vibration, with a braking mechanism designed to reduce the risk of shutter shock, to maximize image sharpness (although for shutter speeds longer than 1/1000s, electronic front curtain makes this entire issue moot). Sony says it will offer professional levels of durability, too, and says it expects it to last for at least 500,000 actuations.

The camera's IS mechanism also gets a boost with the 5-axis system upgraded to receive a 5.5 step rating, by CIPA standard testing. The full capabilities of the system remain available in video shooting, too, though we would've liked to see the option for additional electronic ('digital') stabilization for glide-cam like footage as well, as is offered on the RX100-series of cameras and some smartphones today.

10 fps high-resolution shooting, with flash

A potentially huge benefit of the 10 fps mechanical shutter is 10 frames-per-second shooting with flash, assuming your strobes can keep up. That puts the a7R III ahead of even the a9 in this respect. This is another example of Sony not afraid to cannibalize itself: it's offering technology advanced compared to its flagship, at a lower model-level.

For some users, like strobe dance photographers, this may be an immensely important consideration.

Ergonomics

Although the body is essentially that of the a7R II, the Mark III gains some of the ergonomic improvements of the a9. This includes an AF-On button and joystick/multi-controller for positioning the camera's AF point. The camera's 3" touchscreen can also be used as an 'AF touchpad' when the camera is held to your eye.

The touchscreen can also be used to perform a controlled rack focus during video capture. Perhaps most importantly, the a7R III gains the new menu system of the a9, including the button customization of that model.

Video

As with its predecessor, the a7R Mark III can shoot UHD 4K from the full width of its sensor but gets better results in Super 35 (essentially APS-C) crop mode. In crop mode the camera shoots using a 5176 x 2924 pixel region, which it down-samples to produce highly detailed 3840 x 2160 UHD 4K footage. Sony says the image quality of both types of footage is improved but that the quality differential between full frame and Super 35mm modes will remain. In other words, Super 35 will continue to (ironically) offer higher resolution, better dynamic range and low light performance than full-frame mode in 4K.

The a7R III gains the Hybrid Log Gamma feature we first saw in the Panasonic GH5, which essentially captures Log footage along with metadata that allows HLG-compatible HDR displays to correctly present the footage, without the need for post-processing. Display Assist, which gives a 'normal,' corrected preview while shooting in Log mode, is available when shooting HLG footage. SLog-3 has also been added to maximize dynamic range for users who do expect to grade their footage.

What's this ultimately mean to you? You'll be able to immediately capture high contrast footage while preserving both highlight and shadow detail, and then display this wide range of tones on a HDR display without needing to 'flatten' the output to fit into the display range of traditional monitors. It's all the benefits of HDR without all the flat-looking downsides of traditional HDR approaches.

The a7R III also gains the 1080p120 (100 in PAL mode) video capability that Sony has developed since the launch of the Mark II, along with the fast and slow-motion modes that stem from the feature. It also shoots XAVC-S Proxy, with the camera capturing both a high quality and a small, more easily editable proxy stream, simultaneously (a feature we first saw on the RX10 IV).

Pixel shift multi shooting mode

New to the a7R III is a multi-shot resolution mode that, much like the system in recent Pentax DSLRs, shoots four images and moves the sensor between each shot, so that each pixel position in the final image is captured with a red, a blue and two green pixels. This cancels out the side-effects of the Bayer color filter array, meaning that full color information is captured for every pixel. This has a noise benefit both from capturing multiple shots of the same scene, which helps average out the noise, while also reducing the additional softness and noise that usually comes from the demosaicing process.

However, unlike the system Pentax uses or the earlier, 8-shot process used by Olympus, the a7R III cannot assemble the final images in-camera. Instead four Raw files must be processed using a freely downloadable image processing application for PCs that Sony will offer. The camera must also wait between 1 and 30 seconds between shots for the sensor to settle, which is likely to exacerbate the problems of subject movement between the first and last shot.

Other features

As well as all these there are a series of smaller additions. For a start, the a7R III also gains an anti-flicker mode that monitors the strobing of artificial lights and shoots at the peak intensity, to avoid dark or inconsistently exposed photos. Unfortunately though, since sensor readout speeds aren't improved, we're not expecting any decrease in banding during full-silent shooting (e-shutter) under artificial lighting.

There are also twin USB sockets, a USB 3.1 type C connector and the microUSB port that is found on most cameras. The a7R III can be operated when charging over either of these sockets, meaning the camera can charge over a microUSB cable while also shooting tethered via USB-C.

As per the a9, the a7R Mark III has twin card slots, one of which is UHS-II compatible, while the other is the lower-bandwidth UHS-I standard.

Battery life

Use of the larger NP-FZ100 battery increases the battery life by 2.2x, meaning a CIPA rating of 650 shots per charge when using the rear LCD or 530 shots per charge with the EVF. This can be increased another two-fold (or 4.4x extra life) using the optional VG-3EM battery grip, which it shares with the a9. We're eager to see how Sony fit this larger battery into a similar body size, as it's nothing short of impressive.

The a7R Mark III will be available from the last day of November at a recommended selling price of $3199.

Thanks to an evolutionary leap in image processing power and efficiency, the new α7R III combines a high-resolution 42.4 MP1 back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor with impressive shooting speeds at up to 10 fps2 with full AF/AE tracking, as well as beautiful image and 4K6 video quality, wide 15-stop9 dynamic range, high sensitivity with noise reduction of almost a full stop4 and more. With these immense capabilities and a compact, lightweight body, it’s an extremely versatile tool for photographers, videographers, multi-media creators and all other types of professionals that demand reliability, flexibility and versatility.

“We’re continuing to raise the bar for innovation in the imaging marketplace, in particular with our full-frame camera lineup,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging for Sony Electronics. “As an industry, we are now entering the true digital age of imaging. The capabilities of the α7R III camera – silent shooting at 10 fps at full 42.4 MP resolution, extreme AF coverage and speed for both video and stills – exceed anything that is physically possible with a DSLR, making it an excellent symbol for this paradigm shift” He added, “It offers a level of customization, speed and stamina that will satisfy even the most demanding professionals, and ensures that they can take full advantage of this impressive tool to capture and create in ways they never could before.”

Sony’s new α7R III also features a new front-end LSI that effectively doubles4 the readout speed of the image sensor, as well as an updated BIONZ X™ processing-engine that boosts processing speed by approximately 1.8 times compared to the α7R II. These powerful components work together to allow the camera to shoot at faster speeds while also enabling its impressive ISO range of 100 - 32000 (expandable to ISO 50 – 102400 for still images) and massive 15-stop9 dynamic range at low sensitivity settings. This ensures outstanding overall performance at all settings and in all shooting conditions.

This new full-frame model was built without an optical low pass filter to maximize resolution, while also having the ability to output 14 bit RAW format even when shooting in silent or continuous mode. The camera is equipped with an innovative 5-axis optical image stabilization system that has been fine-tuned to support its high-resolution shooting capacity, resulting in a 5.5 step5 shutter speed advantage, the world’s highest10 compensation performance for an image stabilization system. There is also a new low-vibration shutter that reduces vibration and image blur in all modes, including the high speed 10 fps shooting, as well as several advancements in accurate color reproductions of skin tones.

High-Performance AF and AF/AE Tracking at up to 10 fps2The innovative new α7R III full-frame mirrorless camera is equipped with a refined image processing system that allows it to shoot full 42.4MP images at up to 10 fps with continuous, accurate AF/AE tracking for up to 76 JPEG / RAW images or 28 uncompressed RAW images11. This high speed 10 fps mode is available with either a mechanical shutter or a completely silent shooting12, adding to the immense flexibility of the camera. The camera can also shoot continuously at up to 8 fps13 in live view mode with minimal lag in the viewfinder or LCD screen. These high speed options ensure that fast moving subjects can be captured with extreme accuracy and incredible image detail.

For added convenience, while large groups of burst images are being written to the memory card, many of the cameras key functions are operable, including access to the ‘Fn’ (Function) and ‘Menu’ buttons, image playback and several other menus and parameters14 including image rating and other functions that facilitate on-location image sorting.

Additionally, if there is fluorescent or artificial lighting present in a shooting environment, users can activate the Anti-flicker15 function to allow the α7R III to automatically detect frequency of the lighting and time the shutter to minimize its effect on images being captured. This minimizes any exposure or color anomalies that can sometimes occur at the top and bottom of images shot at high shutter speeds.

The upgraded focusing system of the α7R III is comprised of 399 focal-plane phase-detection AF points that cover approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions. There is also 425 contrast AF points, an increase of 400 points compared to the α7R II. This advanced system delivers AF acquisition in about half the time as the α7R II in low-light conditions, with tracking that is approximately 2 times more accurate as well. The acclaimed Eye AF feature is also approximately 2 times more effective, and is available when utilizing Sony’s A-mount lenses with an adapter16.

Additional improvements in focusing flexibility include AF availability in Focus Magnifier mode, focal-plane phase-detection AF support when using A-mount lenses17, an ‘AF On’ button, a multi-selector or ‘joystick’ for moving focusing points quickly, flexible touch focus functionality and much more.

High Quality 4K for the Video ProfessionalsThe new α7R III is exceptionally capable as a video camera, offering 4K (3840x2160 pixels) video recording across the full width of the full-frame image sensor. When shooting in Super 35mm format, the camera uses full pixel readout without pixel binning to collect 5K18 of information, oversampling it to produce high quality 4K footage with exceptional detail and depth.

A new HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) 19 is available on the α7R III that supports an Instant HDR workflow, allowing HDR (HLG) compatible TV’s to playback beautiful, true-to-life 4K HDR imagery. Further, both S-Log2 and S-Log3 are available for increased color grading flexibility. The camera can also record Full HD at 120 fps at up to 100 Mbps6, allowing footage to be reviewed and eventually edited into 4x or 5x slow motion20 video files in Full HD resolution with AF tracking.

Build, Design and Customization for ProfessionalsSony’s newest full-frame camera is equipped with a variety of enhanced capabilities that give it a true professional operational style. These include dual media slots, with support in one slot for UHS-II type SD memory cards. Users have a variety of options for storing their content, including separate JPEG / RAW recording, separate still image / movie recording, relay recording and more. Battery life has been greatly extended as well, as the new camera utilizes Sony’s Z series battery that have approximately 2.2 times the capacity of the W series battery utilized in the α7R II.

The α7R III features an upgraded high-resolution, high-luminance Quad-VGA OLED Tru-Finder™ with approximately 3,686k dots for extremely accurate, true-to-life detail reproduction. The Tru-Finder, also found in the acclaimed Sony α9 camera, utilizes a ZEISS® T* Coating to greatly reduce reflections, and has a fluorine coating on the outer lens that repels dirt. It also has a customizable frame rate, with options of either 60 fps or 120 fps21 to best match the action. The LCD screen has been upgraded as well, with a resolution of 1.44M dots and WhiteMagic™ technology that improves viewing in bright, outdoor conditions. “Standard” or “High” display quality settings are also available for both the viewfinder and monitor as well. “High” takes advantage of the large amount of data read from the 42.4MP sensor to provide extra fine viewfinder and monitor displays for a more natural view. The new camera also offers a multi-selector joystick that provides a fast, efficient way to shift focus points, as well as an ‘AF ON’ button to activate autofocus when shooting stills or movies.

The new α7R III allows for convenient transfer of files to a smartphone, tablet, computer or FTP server via Wi-Fi®, while also including a sync terminal, enabling external flash units and cables to be connected directly for convenient flash sync. A SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.1 Gen 1) USB Type-C™ Terminal is also available for increased flexibility in power supply or connected accessories, as well as a faster image transfer speed when connected to a PC.

New “Imaging Edge” Software Suite and Pixel Shift Multi Shooting ModeNew with the α7R III is a software suite called “Imaging Edge” that extends the creative capabilities of the entire shooting process – from pre-processing to post-processing. “Imaging Edge” provides three PC applications called ‘Remote’, ‘Viewer’ and ‘Edit’, available for free download, which support live-view PC remote shooting and RAW development.

Also making its debut on the versatile α7R III is a new Pixel Shift Multi Shooting mode, which takes full advantage of the advanced 5-axis optical in-body stabilization to create beautiful true-to-life, super-high resolution composite images. In this mode, the camera precisely shifts the sensor in 1-pixel increments to capture four separate pixel-shifted images containing a total of approximately 169.6 MP22 of image data. These four images can be composited together and processed utilizing the new “Imaging Edge” software suite. This ultimately results in a still image with overwhelming resolution and an unprecedented level of color accuracy, and is ideal for photographing architecture, art or any other still life photography subject with many intricate details and colors.

Pricing and AvailabilityThe Sony α7R III Full-frame Interchangeable Lens Camera will ship this November for about $3,200 US and $4,000 CA. It will be sold at a variety of Sony authorized dealers throughout North America.

A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with the new α7R III camera and other Sony α products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site built to educate and inspire all fans and customers of the Sony α brand.

1. Approximately, effective2. Up to 10 fps in continuous “Hi+” mode, and up to 8 fps in continuous “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera settings3. Approximately 68% of the image area in both the horizontal and vertical directions4. Compared to the a7R II, according to Sony testing5. CIPA standards. Pitch/yaw shake only. Planar T* FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens. Long exposure NR off6. A Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card is required for XAVC S format movie recording. UHS speed class 3 or higher is required for 100 Mbps recording7. In Super 35mm mode.8. Approximately9. Sony test conditions for still images10. Among digital cameras with a full-frame image sensor. As of October 2017 press release, based on Sony research11. “Hi+” continuous mode with UHS-II compatible SDXC memory card. Sony test conditions.12. Some distortion may occur with fast-moving subjects of if the camera is moved sideways rapidly13. “Hi” mode. Maximum fps will depend on camera setting.14. Not all menu parameters can be edited while data is being written to the memory card15. Only 100 Hz and 120 Hz flicker is detected. Continuous shooting speed may decrease. Flicker-free shooting is not available during silent shooting, BULB exposure, or movie recording16. With SSM or SAM lenses only. Eye AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the “Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than “Continuous: Lo” (Hi+, Hi, Mid).17. With SSM or SAM lenses only. With the LA-EA3 mount adapter. Focal plane phase-detection AF not supported for movie recording. AF-C can only be used when the “Phase detection” AF system is selected, but focus is fixed at the first frame during continuous shooting in any mode other than “Continuous: Lo” (Hi+, Hi, Mid).18. 15-megapixel19. Connect this product to an HDR (HLG) compatible Sony TV via a USB cable when displaying HDR (HLG) movies20. Sound not recorded. Class 10 or higher SDHC/SDXC memory card required21. In NTSC. 50fps or 100fps in PAL22. Image size after compositing is approx. 42.4 million (7952 x 5304) pixels.

Comments

> The new camera also gets the 3.69M-dot OLED viewfinder from the a9, providing a 1280 x 720 resolution view. This gives you highly detailed images with high contrast and deep blacks through the EVF, particularly during playback.

Buffer offload speed will be one of the things I'd be really interested in. I'm still planning to go from the D810 to the D850, but if they have the interaction speed issues finally resolved on the A7RIII I might be presuaded to give it another go.

Do you think an A7iii is on the heels? That's what I was expecting next. What would Sony hold back to differentiate? Maybe dual SD, battery, and 36mp without the FPS of the A9 or resolution of the A7Riii?

I would bet the A7M3 will stay @ 24MPixel, just as the A7RM3/A7RM2 has stayed at 43MPixel and the A7SM1/A7SM2 has stayed at 12 MPixel. But I'm also hoping it gets the larger battery as a change in body for one likely means a change in body for all. Whether it's the A7 series or A6xxx series, Sony has gotten beaten up for years now about small batteries/poor battery life. I'm hoping the A7M3 also finally gets 4K video with a sensor that doesn't overheat as well.

It gets tiring remembering and reminding how many "new" features have been stolen from Pentax cameras that cost significantly less. A K-3II or K-1 fill most still phtotographers needs, and are built like tanks. These $3K-$6K cameras are simply too expensive. And the Sony a7x series cameras are miserable in hand--DSLRs still rule ergonomics.

Just because I listed dual SD, increased battery life, and 36mp doesn't mean those are the only things I consider important. If they were I would indeed look at the K1. My top priorities are actually compatibility with my lenses--all of them--and a quality EVF with focus aids and WYSISYG. Price, compactness, build quality, video, and pleasing (to me) IQ are next. So mirrorless is really the only compelling option to me despite the K1 having dual cards, sealing, a resolution bump. Maybe the worst thing about Pentax is I don't like their starting point with IQ. Probably the K1 is different, but the last DSLR I owned was a K5iis and I hated the default IQ and wrestling the heck out of every RAW file to get something near pleasing to my eye was the worst. The things I liked about the Pentax were overwhelmed by the bad. So, I'll likely never go back to Pentax even if I were to go back to DSLRs which would be incredibly backwards imo. Just to explain.

The A7R II is USB 2.0 !? seriously? Even my D800 has a micro B USB 3.0 port lol. BTW micro USB refers to a connector size not a speed. There are micro B USB 2.0 and Micro B USB 3.0 connectors as well "B" type connectors which are bigger but different from the flat looking Type A connectors. Type C connectors are meant to fix this confusing jumble with one uniform connector that is the same on both sides of the cable and a Size that will work with all devices. It is a welcome, over due, and much needed simplification and standardization. So it actually is kind of big news that the A7RIII has one. The more devices that make the switch to Type-C the faster it will become the ubiquitous norm.

They're probably thinking, "Man we are still making major improvements in many areas like flash and lenses not just in the bodies which at least in the case of Nikon are easily more than a match for Sony A series and Sony has already petered out to minor upgrades on bodies and still doesn't even have close to a full lens line up, anywhere near our battery life, anywhere near our industry leading ergonomics and control layout which we improve on almost every new release, anywhere near our industry leading UI designs, still has way under par service centers and no pro level service infrastructure at all really, and still doesn't' even have a pro level flash system yet." Then they laugh.

I am liking the 5.5 stops IS and usb-c...if the tethered functions take full advantage of it. I like the SD cards a little bit less but I get the space problem fitting faster cards.I think Sony fortified their position in the high MP range with this A7RIII and kept the price in line. Good deal.

BTW someone got too 'trigger happy' with the line-numbering at the bottom of the price& avail section.

Looks like a great upgrade from my A7Rii.I'll wait until the spring (I won't need faster FPS until then) and pickup an open box special or one from Korea for about $2600. I was lucky enough to get an A7Rii for $2500 about 4 months after its release.

A7Riii without a doubt, far more advanced and everything works properly, I just picked up a Sony A68 as a backup to my Nikon D7200 which I use for work, the 7200 is a stills camera only, a good one but thats it, the £428 Sony A68 is cheaper build (£250 cheaper to buy) but it equals the Nikon on still image quality, has LV AF that is exactly the same as using the EVF, has great AF in Video, eye start AF, 3 user memories (nikon has 2), the AF assist light is more effective than the Nikon (uses the flash) its just a way more advanced camera, people buy Nikons because they are established and its almost traditional, but they really are dinosaurs these days, I will be switching to Sony now, fed up with waiting for Nikon to catch up

@Arca45Swissyou might want to elaborate on what sort of photography you do and what is your lens requirement. Sony has been filling the gaps quickly with spectacular glass, so unless you have a need for long tele with cutting edge AF tracking I do not see lenses being an issue.

@Arca45SwissI agree that Sony has a different approach to photography than Canikon. Some like it by nature, some do not, some have not patience to learn a new way of shooting and walk away from it. Fact is, Sony ergonomics and menu do not hold you back unless you have massive hands.I have been for decades a Canon shooter, mostly using their 1D pro bodies. I have no issues with ergonomics and menus of a Sony, at least from the latest offerings.

I'll be upgrading from the Sony a6500, going to sell it along with other Sigma wide-angle lenses that i don't use anymore and that have been collecting dust, so I'm pretty excited for this. Really appreciate the fact that it'll maintain a burst speed that equals that of the Sony a6500, perfect for my sports & fashion events.

I have a kit with an A7RII and and A9. I have needs for different resolutions depending on the shoot (mostly the 24mp of the A9, but there are times when 42mp or an 18mp APS crop have their place). As much as I love both cameras, It has always been a bit of an issue that I couldn't set them up the same way. The changes in the new A7rIII, particularly the matching menu system, the dual card slots and the same (bigger) battery will mean switching between the two cameras on the fly will be much more seamless. The only things missing will be the drive mode and focus mode dials on the top plate, but hey, that would make it an A9R, and it would cost more.

One thing I wish Sony would provide with its cameras is a way to globally backup its settings to store configurations in memory. With Lumix GH4s I could match two bodies, or quickly configure a camera for a certain type of shoot.

They've made many great individual cameras but it is good to see Sony's system continually getting stronger.

I just placed my pre-order but I'm going to think hard over the next few weeks if the joystick, touchscreen, UHS-II, supposedly improved AF and better battery are worth $800 (right now) over the a7RII.

10 FPS, improved EVF (never used the a7RII or a9 so I don't know what I'm missing), multi-shot don't mean much to me.

It looks like most of the drawbacks of a7RII were addressed and the most important are a double card slot and improvements in speed. Desperately waiting for a7SIII with the same features and ~ 16mp sensor.

Smart move of Sony. Sensor is very good and not sure there is big need for the rumored 60-70mp sensor as of today.I 'm very tempted by this new camera. I missed in the A7rII some responsiveness and AF speed. They have fixed this. And almost everything have some improvements, I like it!

If you care most about DR and high ISO quality is secondary on your list of priorities, the original a7 has better DR than the a7RII. Of course that would also mean you'd have to be ok with the body on the original a7 and any other differences, but it's still a very relevant sensor today in 2017.

In the past several days before this announcement the A7R II was already offered on sale at most authorized retailers. It can be had new for around $2400 with extras thrown in. There may be open box deals available for even less.

I use the A7Rii for the same purposes as you. Although its always nice to get a new camera I don't think its a necessary upgrade. You don't need the increase in frames per second. The dual card slot would be nice but I do backup my images while out on trips to my laptop.

FF Pro -Have you looked at the photographs of the camera?Have you looked at photographs of the a9?Look again and tell me how long it takes before you notice the difference.Then come back if you can't spot the obvious, and I'll point it out to you...

A nice "mid cycle" update to an amazing camera. Adding modern features like USB-C, advanced features like A9 viewfinder/body/battery, higher performance shutter... all for no price increase as Sonys are often accused of having (this cam has the same launch price as A7rii).

good way - but by far to expensive, the hole Sony-System, it should and could be much cheaper then DSLR. No battery-Grip,no good balance with larger lensesno XQD-Cardsand every two years new cameras -I will not go the Sony-way.

@Quarry - but I think prisms and glass are very cheap now. The cost has mostly been driven out of them. I think the production/assembly is where we expect to see the savings. So on the margin side, I expect mirrorless to have higher margins than DSLR because assembly and fabrication are lower cost tasks. But from a marketing standpoint, it's always been the case that you charge what the market will bear.

A minor update of an extremely competent camera. The new EVF should be fantastic. The pixel shift is going to produce gorgeous images that look like 85 MP Bayer, but my experience with pixel shift tells me that this Sony version will be too limiting for anything practical outdoors.

It's a great sensor, better than most others out there, I don't mind that they didn't mess with it. The upgrades are sensible. I have used an A7RII since they came out. The results are great but the menus and handling needed refinement. I think the mark III will be a nice improvement to a solid camera.

I really don't get fanboys. Not everything has to be revolutionary. You could say the D810 was a "minor update of an extremely competent camera" Yet no one would say the D810 is a bad camera. Sony is doing the smart thing. Refining the less glamorous aspects of what is already a very competitive camera instead of pushing for big changes. Nikon and Canon became the market leaders and gold standard for quality and performance by doing this exact thing. It's a Sign Sony is maturing as a camera company and the A7 is maturing as a product line. It's actually a good thing to see this not a bad one.

Focus stacking in the D850 is far more useful than pixel shift and will result in cleaner, sharper images. Even manual focus stacking on the Sony will likely be better. A pixel shift image shot at f5.6/8 won't be as sharp as a focus stacked one shot wide open...

I love this conjecture. You have absolutely no idea what the image will look like. "As detailed as a 85 MP Bayer image"! Look it clearly is going to be better than a typical 42 MP image, but let's try to test it out rather than pull information out of our sphincters.

I use both professionally. When you first use the A9 it is noticeable, but but the A7RII is not a bad viewfinder and, if you are looking hard enough at the resolution, brightness and contrast to notice the difference, you have probably missed the moment. I wouldn't upgrade from the A7RII for that alone. I am seriously considering it for the menu system, batteries, flat video profiles and dual memory card slots. I don't care about the speed or the viewfinder improvements.

Thanks for the reply. I mostly photograph landscape so the EVF and DR will be the most important upgrade for me. Not too bothered about any of the rest either way. Will have to have a test in the shop once it's out. Cheers.

I'd considered hesitating on buying the D850 until this was announced, glad I didn't for this marginal update. The D850 is amazing kit. This looks nice, and the debate will go on as long as both exist, but I liked the D810 more than my A7RII, and the D850 is more of an upgrade. I would consider adding an A7III though, so let's see THAT one Sony! --Happy shooting.

Androole,yeah if you wait longer to release a new product it would make it look like a bigger update when you do...Works for all except for canon that, by releasing new camera, pushes people with lower end cameras to buy the previous model at a further discount.

I like what Sony is doing here but what about E mount lenses for the A6000 series? What about an update to the A5000 and A5100? I've gotten good shots with it when I had the A6000 but that 16-50 PZ doesn't have the best reputation in the world. Also the 6000 series need an AF joystick, selecting an AF point is a pain. Why is FE getting all of the attention? "Because it makes more money?" TOUGH. Pay some attention to the E mount users for a change.

I don't think FE brings more money, they just cost more. I am pretty sure like in every other manufacturer's case, the entry and mid level cameras are always bringing in the bulk of the profits because they sell way more. I am thinking that Sony will address the lens gaps in it's line-up but it will take time. APS-C brings in the profits but the fame is gained by its PRO line-up.

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